Come In
by CountSheep
Summary: Sanford is sick and tired of Deimos always interrupting his showers. But when a slip of the hand leads to Deimos' sick past unfolding he sees something else to be bothered by. His want to tend to the younger mans mental wounds. Sanford/Deimos MC
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Deimos?"

"Yeah?"

"We've been partners for a long time now, right?"

"Uh…3 years if I counted right."

"Yeah. And we've been on 292 missions by my count."

"Yeah."

"And you know how when we got to our second year, people started spreading rumors about us?"

"You mean the ones about us being gay?"

"Yes…THOSE rumors…"

"What about 'em?"

"Well I think I might know a solution to those."

"Really?"

"Really really."

"Well I'm all ears."

"Well, first things first…GET OUT OF HERE AND STOP FOLLOWING ME INTO THE SHOWER!!!"

"But you always use up the hot water!"

"I said get out!"

"OK OK sheesh."

A few moments passed since Deimos exited and for a second Sanford thought he was going to be able to rid himself of his overly open and annoyingly affectionate partner. He had just started to work soap through his hair, scrubbing out the dirt blood and debris from the mission they had just returned from. The warm water felt nice on his tired and over worked muscles. He had been just about to rinse when the water suddenly became freezing.

"SON OF A COCK JUGGLING THUNDER CUNT!!!"

"I love it when you talk like that."

Sanford spun to see a very smiley Deimos poking his head around the shower curtain. But just as he was about make a grab for the nuisance he felt his eyes begin to burn and remembered that he had never rinsed the soap from his hair. So for all he knew he wasn't even grabbing in the right direction. All he knew for sure was that whatever he grabbed had Deimos (for maybe the first time since Sanford had met him) dead silent.

A few moments passed, and the burn began to subside. Hey squinted through half shut eyes to see the reddened face of Deimos staring at him, the young technician's eyes impossibly wide. It was one of those times when you know you shouldn't look. But Sanford wanted…_needed_ to know what he had done to frazzle the younger man. He looked down to where his hand was and nearly choked. His fingers were not only hooked into the waistline of Deimos' pants but also his boxers, pulling both far down on his hips. He jerked his hand away.

"Oh…um…shit. I'm sorry?"

Wait why was he apologizing? Wasn't Deimos at fault? But still the way the younger man's face flushed, the way his body was beginning to shake. There was something that made him feel responsible for it. He felt like getting this sort of reaction was something only he could do. And for a moment he felt somewhat…what? Proud?

At least he did until Deimos turned and hastily exited the bathroom, his face blank.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Great. Just fucking great. IT had been several days since the shower incident had passed and Deimos refused to talk to Sanford. He hardly said anything to anyone. What the hell. It was an accident. It wasn't like Sanford had even meant to…well. So what was the problem?

He sat at the desk in the small apartment. A stack of mail had built up over the days from their mission. He sighed. Why did they even get mail? It wasn't like they ever paid taxes. They didn't even have families. None of the agents had families. But they had them at one point. He remembered his own. His twins. The older girl, Bailey, and the younger boy, Taylor. He wondered about how they were doing now that they no longer had their parents. As he thought he couldn't help but wonder what sort of family his younger partner had. The technician wasn't exactly open about his past. Maybe it wasn't as warm as Sanford's had been.

The front door clicked and creaked open. Deimos slinked through the doorway, his shoulders slumped his face down. Sanford glanced over his shoulder catching a glimpse of the younger man. Something was wrong. It was easy to see in the dramatic change of the technician's stance.

"Hey…You okay?"

Deimos' head snapped up his gaze seemed distant and out of focus. He merely turned and headed for his room at the end of the hall. His feet dragged across the floor.

Sanford could tell…something was horribly wrong. Sure the younger man hadn't been acting the same as usual since the shower incident, but this. It was the complete image of defeat. Sanford stepped up from his seat. He took Deimos' shoulders in his hands, trying to get his partner to look him in the eye.

"Hey, Deimos! Come on, what's wrong." He spoke as gently as he could. He knew he had the tendency to sound harsh. He gave the shoulders in his hands a small shake. It was returned with a hand knocking them away.

"D-don't touch me."

The voice was rasped and strained. It sounded as if he had been screaming. While on any other occasion, Sanford would have choke slammed the poor kid and held him in an Arm-Bar until he got his answers, he felt this called for a little more care. He reached up and took his partner's face in his hands forcing him to look up. And right then he wished he hadn't.

The young man's face was gashed and bruised. His lip was busted open, his entire left eye was swollen, blood oozed from beneath the lid and began to seep between Sanford's fingers.

"Son of a…Deimos what the fuck happened?!"

Deimos shook his head and tried to turn away but for his effort was rewarded with being spun and slammed up against the hallway wall, his arm pinned behind his back, the weight of Sanford's body keeping him from moving.

"Tell me what happened, unless you want it to happen twice in one day"

It was the first time the technician ever showed any true grappling skills as he twisted and maneuvered out of Sanford's grip. He threw out a right cross that caught his older partner in the jaw. Sanford turned holding his jaw and glared at the defiant techie.

"Don't you dare fucking touch me!"

He staggered back from his partner. Sanford tried to advance as gently as he could. But his steps were met with Deimos turning his back and hurrying as fast as his legs would carry him to his room.

_What the fuck? _Sanford heard the soft click of the door locking. _Oh, fuck that. _

While the older man wasn't sure what was wrong. He sure as hell wasn't putting up with this shit. He strode to the door, braced himself, and kicked it off its hinges. And like with many things he could say…he wished on an immense scale that he hadn't.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Come in PT 3

Deimos was unconscious on the floor. He must have removed his jacket the moment he entered because he now laid there in his jeans and a blood soaked white shirt. His neck had deep purple bruises all around it.

"Jebus fucking Christ"

Sanford knelt down and shook the young man's shoulders.

"Fuck fuck fuck…come on wake up kid! Deimos…"

He leaned down placing his ear to his partner's lips. Nothing. No air flowed through them. _No no no…_Sanford wasn't about to let this happen. He took Deimos' head in his head and tilted it, lifting his chin. HE tried to see down his throat but only saw the occlusion. He wasn't about to lose his partner again, at least not while they were off duty. He called upon all the knowledge he could remember from his training to get the right technique for CPR.

Minutes passed with no success. But finally, FINALLY, while Sanford's mouth was pressed to Deimos', the young man choked as he tried to take in air. Sanford pulled away and took his young partner in his arms. Holding him up so that he could take a deep breath.

"For fucks sake, Deimos. I'm only asking you one more time. WHAT. THE .HELL. HAPPENED?!"

There was silence, filled only with the sound of Deimos gasping for air. He must have been fighting the lack of air since he came through the door of the apartment. He was breathing as if it was going to be the last time he would ever taste the air.

What happened next was one of those moments Sanford seldom had. A moment where he honestly was at a loss for words. Deimos was shaking uncontrollably. The older man was sure the techie was crying. But when he glanced down he saw nothing but a blank, lost expression across the face of his partner. No tears flowed. Sanford sighed and placed his arms around the young man's shoulders. Whatever had gone on in the kid's day had left him in shock. He wouldn't be able to move, let alone talk.

Sanford picked the smaller man up from the ground. He might as well wait until he was able to function. He set the body down on the small bed at the far wall. He was about to leave when he noticed, for the first time, the papers scattered about the floor near the closet. He glanced at Deimos; the same blank face stared back at him. Sanford normally wouldn't pry. But his thoughts from earlier about Deimos' past set his mind wondering.

He knelt down and picked the papers from their place on the ground. All of them looked like some sort of files. He sifted through the papers until he found something that looked like a family tree. Several names were crossed off. He ignored it flipped to the next page. Flight orders, railway schedules, and what looked like simple notes scribbled across the margins. One note in particular caught his attention.

It looked like some sort of phone number. But the name next to it belonged to one of the demolition specialists who supplied the organization with all of its explosives.

Sanford took the sheet and left the room. Careful to close the door gently. He immediately headed for the phone. He dialed a number he hadn't called in nearly a year. It was still the most familiar thing he had ever remembered. The phone rang twice. And just like every time prior, Hank answered before it even reached the third ring.

"Wimbleton here, whatdya want."

Sanford smiled at the casual greeting.

"Hank? It's San. I need a favor."

There was a pause. Hank wasn't stupid. Far from it. He knew better than to agree to any favor right off the bat.

"The answer is dependent on what you need."

"Suspicious as always I see. God what a pain in the ass"

"Impatient as always, huh? What's the favor?"

Sanford turned his back to the door he had kicked in, not sure if Deimos was able to hear him.

"You know I'm busy right now. I have my own job to worry about."

"Yeah, I know, but…Jebus, Hank…something is wrong with him…Really wrong."

Sanford could almost see Hank as he gave an exasperated sigh.

"Alright…Alright. Fine what do you need?"

"I need to know what Deimos has been working on lately. He just came home looking like he was hit by a train."

"He's young, he'll bounce back. Probably just got into a bar fight."

"Hank, he's not just a little worse for the wear. Someone was trying to strangle him, and I think that same someone tried to take out his eye."

Another pause. Sanford could hear the sound of papers fluttering. Keys being tapped.

"Alright…looks like he was sent out to 'sever' his remaining ties to his family. Huh…must've had one hell of a family to have him come back like that…Hold on. Holy shit…"

"What?"

"Looks like he had one fucked up family. Dad was a sociopath that killed his siblings. He was arrested. Mother killed herself. He was sent to live with his aunt and uncle at the age of…14. His aunt was abusive and turns out his uncle had a thing for little boys…I'll leave you to fill in the blanks. Yeah. He was sent to go kill them, but it looks like we weren't the only ones with info on them. The A.A.H.W. had them under surveillance. I guess they jumped him."

Sanford stood in stunned silence as Hank's information hit him. What the hell kind of life did Deimos come from? Deimos, the chain smoking, dorky, joker that seemed able to enjoy almost anything work threw at them. Was the entire thing a façade? A way for Deimos to hide what hell he had gone through before the anti-A.A.H.W.? And what the hell did those freaks at the A.A.H.W. want with those sick fucks the techie had once called family? On top of those questions rested the one that truly bothered him. What happened to the young man? What had transpired to leave him in that state?

The moment Deimos woke up…he was going to find out.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

_I hate them…I hate him_…Deimos was staring at the ceiling. How long had it been since he had come to and found himself in his own bed? He didn't care. He didn't want to look at the alarm clock on his nightstand. Didn't want to move. It still hurt. That…scar inside of him. It still ached. He knew better than to try and walk. He knew what it felt like…and it made him sick. Sick and ashamed.

The technician could feel the presence waiting outside his door. Could feel the eyes watching him. He had been standing there for a while now. Just watching him. Waiting. _Just go away…please stop looking at me…don't look at me…_There was no way he could look his partner in the eyes. It was hard enough when they had first met. Back then he had put all of this behind him. But now. It had all come flooding back.

For a while he contemplated just getting up and leaving the apartment. And not coming back. But he knew better. Sanford wouldn't allow it to be easy. The older man had this way of keeping him around. No matter how many times the techie had threatened to leave the organization, Sanford would come to him, and with some half-assed effort, would steer the young man back to his duties. Why? Why did Deimos listen to him? Why did he always come back? Well…he knew already, but he wouldn't admit it.

_Aw fuck it…_ "What do you want?" his voice was shot. There was a feeling of hands…a vice grip around his throat. He brought his own hand to his neck. Nothing. Just the fleeting ghost of hands that belonged to someone, thankfully, very far away.

"Are you okay?"

Sanford's voice was still as harsh as ever. But the younger man could hear it…the faint traces of worry, genuine worry. And how could he lie to someone who sounded like that? How could he lie to Sanford?

"No…" He put a hand to his head, felling a painful gash that had clotted over. He turned over on his side, facing the wall. He hadn't even hard the footsteps. The only thing that told him Sanford had even moved was the creaking of the mattress springs as the larger man sat on the edge of the bed.

The technician's body tensed as he shot straight up kicking and thrashing at the unwanted guest that invaded his now stressed personal space. Sanford tried his best not to hurt the kid. He tried really hard. But when the skinny little punk landed a particularly hard left hook, he lost all patience and finally brought an elbow down into his sternum. Deimos choked and gagged as he tried to take in his lost breath. Sanford took advantage of the momentary lapse in strength. He swung a leg across his partner's hip, took a firm grasp of his wrist and pinning them above his head.

It wasn't enough to subdue the troubled technician. He was still wriggling and writhing. Trying desperately to get out of Sanford's grasp.

"God dammit! Hold still! Deimos, what the hell's wrong?! Just calm down!"

Immediately the young man went still. But his body was wracked with a sickening tremble. Sanford looked at the face that was now staring at him. Deimos' pale grey skin was almost white. He looked sick. But his eyes were wide and blank. Staring someone other than the partner he had known for years. _God...what did they do to you?_

"Deimos…"

"…touch me…don't touch me…please. Someone please…anyone…"

The older man tried not to let it bother him. God did he try. He'd seen Deimos die. He'd seen him killed slowly and painfully by agents of the A.A.H.W. But right now. With the knowledge Hank had given him, all he could see was a broken, defeated young man. Deimos may have been a complainer. A joker. But he had always been as cold as ice when on missions, even with the occasional joke. He had never cracked under pressure and wasn't one to let the enemy, or anyone else for that matter, hear him beg.

"Deimos, Deimos…listen. C'mon, it's me. San. Calm down."

He brought one hand down to the techie's face, trying to make him look hi m in the eye. But the blank eyes began to dart around.

"Oh god…god…someone, San? SAN! PLEASE HELP I…please, please…"

Sanford let go of the thin wrists and took the young man's shoulders in his grip. He shook them a gently as he could. Trying not to send Deimos back into shock.

"Kid, I'm right here! I'm right here. It's okay. Just relax."

"San?"

Deimos was still for a moment before he finally sat up from beneath his partner and burying his face in the man's shoulder, his arm weakly holding him.

"Please…don't make me go back…not alone…please…"

Sanford felt the wetness of tears. The 15 year combat veteran that had seen every sort of horror imaginable merely put his arms around the broken man's shoulders. Holding him until the trembling in his slight frame subsided.


	5. Chapter 5

Come in Part 5

The tears had long since stopped. And the shaking had finally been steadied. Deimos now just sat. Staring down into his lap. He still had no idea how long he had been home. No idea what time it was. All he knew was that blank, hollow feeling he thought he had left at that disgusting place. Sanford was watching him. Worried that he might just go into another fit. But he wouldn't. No. He didn't have any energy. He didn't have any strength left to even bring his head up.

"Deimos…"

The voice was quiet. Gentle…or at least it felt that way.

"It was supposed to be easy…"

Sanford brought his gaze the tired face of his partner.

"I-I was just …I had to go and wipe them all out. I was excited to do it…I hated them so much…B-but…"

The techie clenched his hands into fists. There was never an easy way to explain it. Not for someone like Deimos, not for an agent, not for anyone. So how do you explain it? Sanford saw the young man try to look for words. Try to find the phrases to best explain what happened. God dammit. Perhaps some help was in order.

"Start from the beginning…"

Deimos raised his head ever so slightly.

"Tell me everything from the beginning…The VERY beginning. From day one."

The beginning…Leave it to Sanford to not give a damn about how the younger man felt. Leave it to him to ask the techie to tell everything. Not that he even could. No, instead Deimos shook his head, hunching his shoulders and pulling his legs to sit Indian style, hands in his lap. The closest position to defiant as he could get.

"Hey! Fucking look at me!"

Sanford took the young man's chin in his hand. He forced the young man to look him in the eye.

"I need you to tell me what happened. Do that and I'll make sure it never happens again."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

"D-day one?" There came that awful feeling of nausea. Deimos faltered. His eyes went blank.

Sanford shook the young man by the shoulders.

"Hey now, Deimos. If you don't want to go that far back it's okay." The older man spoke as softly as he could. IT was strange and new. To try and be so gentle. To try and be as sensitive as possible. No agent could be used to this sort of thing. Not someone who could pull a trigger without hesitation. And Deimos. He was so loud and open; it must have been hard to hold so much in.

"I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do. I won't do that. You know me. You can tell me what happened." The words felt odd. And sappy. Disgustingly sappy. Wasn't this how you dealt with kids nowadays. So what if Deimos was damn near 30. He still acted like a kid.

"Let's start with when you got the mission. Start there."

Deimos looked up and for a moment just stared at the serious face Sanford wore. And for a moment he looked like he was about to say something. But instead he gave a slight chuckle. Sanford felt his face begin to burn, and his temper rise.

"WHAT!? "

"Nothing…IT's just…since when did you care? I thought you hated me."

A twinge panged in Sanford's chest. Is that what the kid thought?

"Deimos…would I be sitting here with you right now if I didn't? You're my partner. For better or for worse, we're stuck together. I've gotta look out for you."

The technician was taken aback for a moment. The silence between them lasted for a few minutes. Deimos looked down at his hands. Sanford watched the techie, waiting for any sort of reply. When none came he decided to speak first.

"Maybe it's too soon to talk. When you're ready I'll be waiting."

The comspec began to rise from his seat on the bed. But a hand reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. Without turning he waited for the younger man to go on.

"I-I got the mission about 2 weeks ago. They told me to do whatever I needed to cut my ties. To get rid of them…That's all I wanted. I wanted them gone. Dead. I felt sick at first. I knew I had to go back there. That I had to see HIM again…"

Sanford sat back down and waited for the technician to continue.

"I was starting to hear things…in my head…his voice. I wanted to just get it over with. The thing in the shower…I know you didn't do it on purpose. But it felt…"

He trailed off for a moment.

"Anyway I left the day after the incident. I needed to do something. Fast. I-I planned on just blowing the place to hell. I got Hank to give me some explosives. C4. Perfect…great. Plant a couple charges, flip a switch, and it'd all be over."

Deimos swallowed hard.

"I got to the site…I'm not sure if I should thank Ray for the location or kill him…"

Deimos referred to an agent he had met during his first 3 years of service. One hell of an informant, Ray was. IT was something not many people wanted to be. But the man had a knack for secrets and information.

"I got there around, I don't know 5 or 6 at night. It took some time to make sure I was ready. I felt like I was going to vomit the whole time. The place looked the same as when I left. I-I actually SAW him…"

Deimos shivered.

"He hadn't changed at all…I put a charge under the window I saw him in. I wanted to make sure it was done right. I was shaking the whole time. I couldn't think straight. I must have been seen, gotten sloppy. I was setting one of last charges. All I heard was a click-. The next thing I know I'm face down in the dirt, l337s, and ATPs."

"They were waiting for you?"

Deimos shook his head.

"I don't know…I just remember seeing white and then just black…and someone saying 'I knew you'd come back to me'."

The young man's face darkened. The slight shiver turned into his whole frame being wracked with sickness.

"I-I don't remember anything after…but I woke up…and HE was…oh god…San, he was…"

Sanford put a hand on Deimos' shoulder trying to pull him out of the memory.

"Your uncle? You came to while he was…"

Deimos nodded shakily. His eyes had gone wide and were staring far off into space.

"Come on stay focused. Tell me. How did you get out?"

The young man brought a hand to his head.

"I d-don't know… I think they left me alone when he was done…He was talking…about something…I wasn't listening…I don't know how long I was there…but I remember them bringing in food. He brought it to me…He was talking. Talking and talking. I hated him…I hated him so much…for everything…he had just done THAT to me and he was just sitting there talking…But I couldn't move…I didn't want to move, it hurt. But then he said something…He asked me a question…and I…"

He paused again, unwilling, or perhaps unable, to answer.

"Deimos…what did he ask you?"

The technician closed his eyes tightly and through clenched teeth spoke.

"He asked why I hadn't brought my partner along for the fun…"

Sanford felt as though his body had frozen solid.

"I think I grabbed a knife from the food he brought. Like I said: I can't remember much. I just remember when it was over, they were all dead…I think he fought back. He got my eye…I got his throat."

Deimos brought his fingers to his left eye. I wasn't swollen shut, Sanford realized, it was completely gone.

"I think someone tried to choke me…but I got them too…I got everyone…"

There was that silence. The silence that told that someone had said everything they planned on saying. The kind of silence that, while it may have left so many questions, Sanford knew far better than to even ask. But there were still things left to be done.

TBC


End file.
